Master Yuan, start!

Master Yuan, start!

Author: Shui Caitian

Serious version introduction:

Can the fusion of Marxism-Leninism and Confucianism send Yuan Datou on the road to becoming a god?

Introduction to the informal version:

Trial in the late Qing Dynasty

Cixi: The court trial has started!

Tan Sitong: The injustice is so deep, how can I understand?

Boxer: So, you were also wronged?

Yuan Shikai: I am the judge who will judge your case!

after many years……

Li Hongzhang: I am better than Yuan!

Chapter 1 Big Powerism

In 1882, after Yuan Shikai joined the army to quell the Korean Rebellion, he was ordered to stay in Korea.

On the night when the army returned to the capital, Yuan Shikai bid farewell to his colleagues and drank heartily. He became drunk and passed out. He fell into a ditch by the roadside and died in a comical fall.

However, a soul from the future named Yuan Xiangcheng traveled into his body.

It has been more than 2 years

"Weiting, have you finally finished writing? All eight provinces of Korea are eagerly awaiting your new book!"

"I didn't expect that it would spread throughout Korea with just a little superficial knowledge, thanks to Brother Shengchu's vigorous promotion." Yuan Xiangcheng hurriedly put away the white paper with the ink not yet dried and put it into the wooden box beside the table.

Jin Bingshi looked carefully and found that the box was already full of papers, more than a foot thick.

"Brother Shengchu, the article I'm writing this time is titled 'Japan's Struggle for Survival.' It attempts to clarify the beginning and end of Japan's post-Meiji Restoration history within several hundred thousand words, and to explore a path forward for Japan's future."

The man called Brother Shengchu by Yuan Xiangcheng was named Jin Bingshi, with the courtesy name Shengchu. He was a minister of the Joseon Dynasty and an adherent of the principle of serving great powers.

He is also one of the few friends of different ages that Yuan Xiangcheng has made since he traveled through time more than two years ago.

"Is it still published in the Dong-A Ilbo? Weiting, do you know that since you asked me to establish the Dong-A Ilbo, many talented and ambitious people in Korea have been debating in it, and sometimes even Japanese people have talked about it in the newspaper."

Yuan Xiangcheng didn't say much after hearing this, and continued to pack the latest serialized book pages in the wooden box.

"But no matter who wrote the article, it's worlds apart from yours, Brother Weiting. It's been over a year since the publication, and most of the hundreds of articles published by others are just repetitions of others' ideas. Only Weiting's articles are widely circulated in the current issue of the newspaper."

Jin Bingshi became more and more excited as he spoke, his beard fluttering and saliva flying.

Yuan Xiangcheng thought to himself that I was just repeating what others had said, and that I was merely stitching together the essence of ideas from the next hundred years of political talent, so that I could surpass the current articles.

After putting away the pages of the book with some embarrassment, Yuan Xiangcheng put it into Jin Bingshi's hands.

"Brother Shengchu, this is the fruit of my labor for the past month or so, over 100,000 words. It is not suitable for publication in the Dong-A Ilbo. I hope to publish it as a book and distribute it separately. As for the pen name, I will still use the name Dong-A Guoshi."

Jin Bingshi took the manuscript and continued to praise it.

“Weiting, your first article, The Rebirth of Germany, was only a few tens of thousands of words long, but it told the history from the rise of Napoleon III to the unification of Germany by Prussia in such detail and clarity that it really solved the problem of Dong-A Ilbo’s founding and sales.

It was even more popular than the Japanese Jiji Shinpo, and spread throughout Korea, Japan, and even Germany itself.”

Jin Bingshi took out a stack of yellow paper with clear creases from his arms and praised Yuan Xiangcheng while reading it.

"Germany is actually a federation. European countries can be divided into empires, kingdoms, etc. Germany is an empire, and Prussia is the largest kingdom within it. Others include Bavaria, Saxony, Baden-Württemberg, etc. It is quite similar to the Zhou Dynasty during the Spring and Autumn Period when the emperor granted fiefdoms to various states. The states emerged and then fought endlessly until the seven states of Qin, Chu, Qi, Yan, Zhao, Wei, and Han finally emerged victorious. Prussia is the Qin Dynasty of Europe."

Book search group

"Stop, stop! Brother Shengchu, I'm not here to praise you. The article "Germany's Rebirth" only talks about the origins of the founding of the German Empire and introduces it. It is a work of textual research and summary. It really doesn't deserve such praise."

"Weiting, don't refuse. Your last article, "Korean Survival," combined the 20-plus years of domestic and international conflict in Korea since the Byeongin invasion with the Japanese Meiji Restoration and the May Fourth Movement of the Celestial Empire, and it wasn't limited to Korea alone.

The groundbreaking summary of "big powerism" has truly awakened the North Korean people and made them think deeply. After the article was published, it received rave reviews.

More than one person has asked me who this East Asian scholar is. If we weren't close friends, I wouldn't be able to keep your name, the author of this article, a secret."

"That's alright, Brother Shengchu. When the time comes, I, Yuan Xiangcheng, will naturally make my pen name public, but now is not the time yet."

Hearing this, Jin Bingshi, who was originally very passionate, stared at Yuan Xiangcheng's face for a long time, and finally sighed.

"Indeed, Brother Weiting, as an official of the Celestial Empire, not only repeatedly emphasized the benefits of nationalism to the military in Germany's Rebirth, but also expressed his unique views on the Westernization Movement advocated by Li Hongzhang in his article Survival in Korea.

If people knew that it was you, Weiting, who proposed this viewpoint, it would surely cause a huge uproar in the officialdom."

"That's right. I hope Brother Shengchu can provide more protection for Xiangcheng." Yuan Xiangcheng saluted with his fists.

Indeed, it has been more than two years since Yuan Xiangcheng traveled through time. If we were to say the biggest difference between him and Yuan Shikai, it would be the head on his neck.

No one had expected that he would travel through time and space to become Yuan Shikai, a man who would not live past 60. Although he was only 26 years old, at the age of youth and vigor, when he thought about the history of the next few decades, Yuan Shikai felt a thrill of excitement.

Sino-Japanese War, military training at Xiaozhan, betrayal of the reformists, governor-general of Zhili, Xinhai confrontation, president of the Republic of China, unwilling to become emperor, and sudden death from grief and anger.

Any ordinary person who was involved in any or all of these events can be said to have witnessed history, but Yuan Shikai was involved in all of them.

He fulfilled his desire to be an emperor before he died.

Who wouldn’t be excited if this happened to them?

Yuan Xiangcheng was excited about traveling through time and space to be such a wonderful person, but at the same time he was worried about his own miserable end.

He always had to do something, whether he did anything or not. At the very least, he was the president of a country. As long as he didn't lose his mind and become an emperor, he would always be given the title of a revolutionary hero.

But if we want to change the old China at the turn of the dark century, and if we want to make our trip worthwhile, we can’t just follow history honestly!

Therefore, Yuan Shikai used the pen name "East Asian Nationalist" and published many political and cultural editorials, hoping to find comrades to work together for the great cause.

In order to facilitate dissemination, he also encouraged his North Korean friend Kim Byung-si to establish the Dong-A Ilbo for publication.

The article on the rebirth of Germany, which stitched together the ideas of many later political theorists and street-level online literature, was sold out immediately after it was published.

Jin Bingshi had to send someone to add the seal overnight. How could he, a Joseon official who was the highest official of the Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice and the Inspectorate, do such a rough thing?

The rebirth of Germany is so brilliantly written that one wishes one were born in the Prussian state, armed with spear and mounted on horseback, marching straight from the Rhine to the gates of Paris, signing an unequal treaty on the head of the French king, and then witnessing the Prussian king's coronation at the Palace of Versailles.

However, Yuan Xiangcheng wrote these articles not only to enlighten the people, but also to find like-minded comrades to deal with the impending Seoul crisis...

...

At night, in the 19s, Seoul, Korea still had no electricity. Yuan Xiangcheng lit a candle and talked with Jin Bingshi all night long.

"I wonder where Weiting's knowledge of Western countries came from to be so profound?"

"I lost my father when I was young, but fortunately my uncle took care of me and called me to the capital to study and make progress. From the 4th year of the Tongzhi reign to the rd year of the Guangxu reign, I diligently studied the classics, history, and literature in the capital for four years."

"During the 1882 Immo Rebellion in Seoul, Weiting carried a musket on his shoulder and led the charge. This encouraged the soldiers to be fearless and fight bravely.

The mutiny, which had lasted for over a month, was put down in an instant as soon as Weiting arrived. The news had already spread throughout Seoul.

However, I never expected that Weiting would have such an experience of reciting scriptures and studying.

"If the world is at peace, who would be willing to take up arms and set up artillery and cross to another country?"

B Yuan Xiangcheng filled a cup of tea for himself and recalled the experience of the original owner of this body.

In 1876, after studying in Beijing for four years, Yuan Shikai returned to his hometown to take the imperial examination at the request of his uncle, but failed.

In the following two years, there was a severe drought in North China. Yuan Shikai assisted his uncle in running the business in Kaifeng, and was highly appreciated by his uncle.

4 Under the guidance of scholars specially invited by his uncle, Yuan Shikai continued to study literature.

In 1879, he returned to his hometown to take the imperial examination, but failed for the second time.

From then on, he gave up the idea of ​​taking the imperial examination. In a fit of rage, he burned all the poems and essays he had written, and declared: "A real man should serve on the battlefield, maintain domestic peace and resist foreign aggression. How can he be trapped in the dirty work of writing for a long time and waste his time?"

Yuan Xiangcheng actually understood Yuan Shikai's mood at the time. It was nothing more than that he had failed the civil service exam many times, while his peers were all getting on the right track, but his future was uncertain.

It is natural that when one is angry, he will disdain the classics, history, and literature that he once regarded as treasures.

"After failing the imperial examinations twice, I gave up the path of studying and becoming an official.

I was unemployed and searched for books from China and abroad, hoping to find the secret of the Westerners' prosperity, so that I could have some insights into Western affairs and write the book "The Rebirth of Germany".

"It seems that the Celestial Empire is still a gathering of elites with a vast collection of artifacts. Just a little bit of collection has enabled Brother Weiting to have such a deep understanding of the West." Jin Bingshi stroked his beard and took a sip of tea in the cup.

Unexpectedly, Yuan Xiangcheng sneered, took off his hat, revealing his bald head, and pointed at the braid in his hand and said:

"Brother Shengchu, the Celestial Empire? Does the Celestial Empire have such a smelly pigtail?"

Chapter 2 Confucianism with New Era Characteristics

Taking off the hat on his head, Yuan Xiangcheng touched his cold scalp and pulled the braid on his back in front of him.

"Brother Shengchu, do you think this braid looks good? Has the Celestial Empire ever had such an ugly and crude braid in thousands of years?"

Jin Bingshi never expected Yuan Xiangcheng to do this.

This is like just chatting with the girls in Yihongyuan for a few minutes and then starting to make advances. How can you be so impatient?

"Wei, Weiting, I know you're unhappy about being exiled to the border while supposedly guarding Korea, but you absolutely cannot mention this again!"

"Don't mention it? Brother Shengchu, how can I not mention it? Do you know what year it is this year?" Yuan Xiangcheng drank a few cups of tea, but he looked as if he was drunk. His eyes were like torches, staring at Jin Bingshi.

"I, I know that this year is the tenth year of the Guangxu reign, which is also what the foreigners call 1884."

Jin Bingshi was obviously more than 20 years older than Yuan Xiangcheng. Although he felt scared when he was stared at, he also felt a little excited in his heart.

"You are right, but Brother Shengchu, do you know that this year is still the year of Jiashen?" Yuan Xiangcheng picked up the teacup and wanted to drink it all in one gulp, but found that it had already been finished. He could only throw the cup angrily and grab the ground.

There was a "pop" sound.

Jin Bingshi was deaf to the sound of the cup breaking, because he wanted to hear what outrageous words the Qing Dynasty warrior sitting opposite him was going to say.

"It has been four decades since the Jiashen Incident, and 4 years since the Chinese land fell into the hands of the barbarians!"

"For more than two hundred years, anti-Qing patriots have risen one after another without interruption, but it seems as if God is playing a joke, and each time the Qing Dynasty escapes danger."

"Wu Sangui launched a rebellion against the Qing dynasty. His army had already crossed the Yangtze River and was heading straight for the Central Plains. Just as Emperor Kangxi and his son were about to pack up their belongings and flee back to their home in the northeast, Wu Sangui suddenly died of illness. Wu's army was unable to rise again and was defeated repeatedly."

"The White Lotus Rebellion during the Jiaqing reign, the Tianli Rebellion, and even the Hongyang Rebellion during the Xianfeng and Tongzhi reigns—each one was massive and threatened to sweep the country, but each time fell short."